Phantoms of the forest

A powerful, secretive hunter haunts our forests - the goshawk. Film-maker James Aldred has spent hundreds of hours discovering the hidden life of this master of stealth

- James Aldred

There is something larger than life, yet strangely intangible, about the northern goshawk.

Some creatures are stitched so deeply into the fabric of their habitat that it becomes almost impossible to separate the two. So it is for goshawks and the densely forested landscapes they inhabit.

Goshawks are particularly fond of coniferous woodland. The anonymous, shadowy ranks of fir, spruce and hemlock seem to embody the bird's mysterious nature. Even the goshawk's sharply lineated plumage echoes the angular contrast of light and shadow in such places.

SECRETIVE AND SMART

The first thing to know about goshawks is that they can be extremely difficult to see in the wild - hence their popular name, phantoms of the forest. This secretive nature can be explained in part by the fact goshawks are ambush predators, requiring dense cover from which to launch an attack. Overgrown plantations punctuated by tracks, rides and glades offer such opportunities and goshawks often spend hours perching motionless on adjacent branches, watching and waiting for an opportunity.

Such hunting methods require a finely tuned mental map of complex three-dimensional environments, and an ability to learn from mistakes. There is little doubt that goshawks routinely plan hunts in meticulous detail before they even begin a chase. So the second thing to know about goshawks is that they are intelligent even calculating - in their ability to problem-solve and think ahead.

Thirdly, they are perfectly adapted and their to their wooded environment highly predatorial lifestyle. A deeply muscled chest designed for explosive acceleration; broad rounded wings; a long tail for balance; a shape-shifting ability to weave through branches at high speed; acute hearing; and pinsharp eyesight. All are supreme adaptations to hunting at speed below the tree canopy.